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The Trust’s Manager, Walter Price has over 40 years of experience of investing in technology and is based in San Francisco at the heart of the tech world. Read his latest views in Investment Insights from Silicon Valley below.
The team visited China recently and saw evidence of Chinese manufacturing hurting. However, less mature supply chains in many alternative locations mean while China might be down, it is not out. We also look at developments in the payments arena, and what’s driving the next wave of hardware devices.
Walter Price examines China’s new tech-focused ‘Star’ stock exchange – a move in the right direction, but can it become a Nasdaq rival? Walter also looks at the growing tension between Japan and Korea and the likely impact on tech. Finally, should we be concerned by China’s slowing growth?
Walter Price gives his outlook on the varying levels of business confidence across the technology sector in light of mixed economic indicators and financial market uncertainty. Walter also discusses sustainability, plus the next generation of cloud-based security companies come under the spotlight.
In his latest update, Walter Price looks at some of the technology sector’s visionary leaders and how they strive to stay ahead of consumer and market trends. Walter also reviews the status of the so-called ‘legacy businesses’ and how they have fared in their transition to cloud computing.
In his latest update, Walter Price considers US monetary policy, how the US has become more sensitive to interest rate rises and how this all impacts on investors. Walter also shares his thoughts on other topical issues, including 5G.
Against the backdrop of ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China, this month’s update focuses on Chinese mobile giant Huawei and its aspirations for future domination.
The fourth quarter earnings season is in its final stages. It came amid a difficult backdrop: tariff negotiations with China are ongoing, the US government has only just emerged from a protracted shut-down and the global economy appears to be slowing.
The technology sell-off finally stabilised at the end of November and prices began, tentatively, to recover. Walter and his team are surveying the post-sell-off landscape and deciding whether there are any rich pickings to be found.
Walter Price looks at the prospects for the technology sector in a slower growth world. Amidst signs that the global economy could be shifting into a lower gear, Walter spells out why technology companies can still thrive when economic growth falters.
Walter Price's bulletin provides insight on the immediate and longer-term outlook for the technology sector in the light of this week's market sell-off. The team continues to carefully balance risks and opportunities, leveraging their industry expertise and emphasising individual stock selection.
Many technology companies grow up on the energy and vision of a charismatic individual. This month, Walter Price considers the Chief Executive Officer role in the context of technology companies, stressing that a founder may or may not be the best individual to drive a business forward.
This month, Walter explains how technology companies are taking time and effort to understand – and adapt to – the needs of the millennial generation. What is it that makes this generation, so adept with social media and digital technologies, tick?
This month, Walter casts his eye over the buoyant Initial Public Offering (IPO) market. He also looks at the technology that supports cryptocurrencies (Blockchain) as well as innovation at tech companies.
Technology is disruptive. It can render old industries obsolete, and bring new industries into existence. Naturally this has frequent - and sometimes controversial - consequences for the labour market, but historically, where one industry has faded, another has often emerged to to take its place.
Recent weeks have seen considerable controversy around online advertising. Google’s European boss was forced to apologise after adverts from companies and government agencies appeared next to extremist content on YouTube.
The world of messaging is more exciting than it initially appears: although messaging apps are ostensibly just a means to communicate with friends, they offer advertisers a means to target an otherwise elusive younger demographic.
Christmas may be long gone, but the results from the 2016 Christmas shopping season are starting to emerge, and with them comes a clear picture on the winners and losers.
It seems pertinent to discuss e-commerce as the holiday season is here. Online retailing has long been a growing trend, but the rate of growth continues to surprise.
Much like the Brexit result, the polls were wrong in the US Presidential election, and Donald Trump is the next President of the United States. What does this mean for technology stocks in particular and stocks in general?
The shifting mobile market claimed another scalp last month as Ericsson reported a slump in profits. The Swedish telecoms equipment maker blamed rising competition and said it would continue to cut costs, but its problems are part of a wider phenomenon...
Apple’s EU tax bill Apple attracted headlines not solely for the launch of its new iPhone 7 this month, but also for an eye-popping €13bn tax bill from the European Commission. The EC ruled that the ‘sweetheart deal’ struck between the Irish Government and the US tech giant was illegal.
Inevitably, we need to discuss the UK’s historic decision to separate from the European Union. The technology sector is unlikely to feel as direct an impact as some other sectors...
One of the key differentiating factors of technology – and why it is such an exciting place to invest – is that it has the power to create new markets.
These have been a turbulent few months in markets, and technology has not escaped the rout. In spite of the stabilisation seen in March and April, it has been an unnerving period for investors.
Artificial intelligence plays to some of the greatest fears about technology: A world where we interact with machines, rather than each other; where ‘chatbots’ solve our problems rather than people.
Investors the world over are worried about growth. Is China slowing? Is the US slowing? And if so, how severely? The technology sector may be better-placed over the long-term to deliver structural growth, but it is not immune from these concerns.
Technology was one of the clear winners in 2015, amid a generally lacklustre year for stock markets. The Nasdaq finished the year nearly 6% ahead of the wider S&P 500 index. However, the strength has been confined to a few key names, the so called ‘FANG’ companies.
Originally named for their rarity, technology ‘unicorns’ are now as common as pigeons on Wall Street. From Airbnb, Dropbox to Pinterest and Uber, there are an increasing number of companies hitting the $1bn valuation mark in the private market (the qualifying point for a ‘unicorn’).
These have been tricky times for investors in all sectors, and technology has been no exception.
The domestic Chinese market has been in meltdown since the Government announced short-selling restrictions. This is obviously a concern. We have around 5% of our portfolio in China, albeit in Hong Kong listed shares rather than the ‘A’ Shares market.
Forbes has released its annual list of the most valuable brands. It is striking how many technology names feature on the list - six of the top 10 brands are technology groups.
A June rise in interest rates now looks increasingly unlikely, with some commentators believing the Federal Reserve may defer into 2016. Nevertheless, bond markets are wobbling and the issue of interest rate rises continues to influence stock markets. The technology sector is not immune.
Pre-orders for the much-hyped Apple Watch open on the 10th April. Those without the $10,000 for the gold-and-sapphire version may be more tempted by the basic Watch Sport, which starts at $350.
This has been a volatile earnings season, polarising into the good - which have done extremely well – and the bad, which are now facing serious questions about their sustainability.
Walter Price, Manager of Allianz Technology Trust, provides his outlook for the technology sector in 2015 and reviews the top technology trends of 2014.
There is almost nothing that illustrates the pervasiveness of modern technology better than the development of the connected car. A few short years’ ago, cars were a technology-free zone, and yet now technology is promising to transform the driver’s experience and improve road safety.
There has been a notable sell-off among semi-conductor stocks this month, enough to drag the Nasdaq lower and raise fears of a wider slow-down in the technology sector. The catalyst for the share price falls was a profit warning from Microchip Technology, which cited weaker demand in China.
Amazon’s director of UK Operations said recently that all the group’s deliveries could one day be made by automated drone. While the concept sounds space-age, the technology is already well-progressed.
Angela Ahrendts made her first public comments this month since taking over at the helm of Apple’s retail operations. She chose LinkedIn as the medium and in doing so, marked a clear change in personal style from that of previous management.
When the higher valued technology stocks sold off in March and April, the key to their revival or otherwise was always likely to be earnings. As it was, many of the bellwether technology groups either hit or beat consensus expectations in the April earnings season.
The fears of a second bubble in technology had been mounting: there were once again hints of exuberance on the part of investors after the NASDAQ hit highs not seen since the giddy days of 2000...
In last month’s newsletter, we mentioned the burgeoning trend of internet security. Major retailers have been stung by the coordination and sophistication of recent cyber-attacks and have been forced to address the holes in their security systems as a matter of priority.
Microsoft has long understood the necessity of shifting its business from its weakening core markets to newer and higher growth areas. To date, its execution has been erratic; there have been ill-judged forays into the mobile phone world, for example.